This invention relates to resilient wall base, specifically to resilient wall base members manufactured with pre-scored grooves to allow relatively short, straight lengths to be used for both flat walls and wall corner junctures without on site scoring operations or equipment. The lengths can either be pre-cut during manufacturing to convenient lengths or can be cut after manufacturing from coils.
Resilient wall base is a low-cost product that hides otherwise unsightly intersections between walls and floors and protects the lower wall surface from vacuums and other cleaning equipment. Resilient wall base has been manufactured in both relatively short lengths, flat and stacked for transport, and relatively long coiled lengths. Various types of thermoplastic and thermoset compounds are employed as base materials in the manufacture of resilient wall base. Resilient wall base is preferable to rigid materials, such as wood or composites, because of its flexibility. This flexibility allows the resilient wall base to be closely fit to irregular wall surfaces and can be taken advantage of to “wrap” corners with the product.
Straight wall sections are covered by simply gluing the resilient wall base to the wall. With conventional resilient wall base, both inside and outside corners of a room require either additional preparation of the material or the use of manufactured L-shaped corner sections. The straight resilient wall base will not “wrap” flush around a 90-degree wall juncture because of the stiffness and thickness of the resilient wall base material.
The L-shaped corner section is the only commercially-produced solution. Corner sections allow the installer to place a manufactured 90-degree corner piece and simply join straight sections of resilient wall base to each end. Corners sections are typically molded (in the case of thermoset material) or heated and formed (in the case of thermoplastic material). Corner sections are typically sold and packaged separately from each other and from the straight wall sections or coiled lengths of resilient wall base. Corner sections are several times more expensive per foot than the straight wall sections used for the rest of the walls. The corner sections and straight wall section may also be mismatched in both cross-sectional thickness and color because they may not have been made from the same production batch of material.
A more common practice is to use the straight wall sections to make corners on site in the field. There are two common methods. The first requires heat forming equipment designed for the purpose of making corner sections, which in turn requires a substantial investment in the equipment. This method is inherently inefficient due to the necessity of adjusting the equipment depending on the type of material being used. This method does not work well with thermoset compounds because thermoset compounds do not soften substantially when heated.
The most common method of producing a corner section on site is to cut away a portion of the material from the inner face, or back, of the straight wall section with a knife or specialized scoring tool. This requires practice and skill and additional time to complete. If the groove is cut too shallow, the resilient wall base will not be flush at the corner wall juncture. If the groove is cut too deep, the material can separate before installation or after, resulting in an imperfect corner, a wasted length of resilient wall base, or both.